First Stop: ATHENS!

Athens is the capital city of Greece, and where most tourists will land first on their trip.  Jenn and I arrived at our hotel the first night to an unexpected treat.  Due to a mix-up with the reservations, we were given the "honeymoon suite" and VIP access to the hotel's rooftop swimming pool.  Naturally, we didn't complain.  We decided to spend a few days here to explore some of the city's famous history before island hopping in our bikinis. 

Our first trip was to the famous ACROPOLIS.  

The Acropolis is recognized as one of the seven wonders of the world, and, after visiting, I can definitely understand why.

• The Acropolis hill, also called the "Sacred Rock" of Athens, is the most important site of the city and constitutes one of the most recognizable monuments of the world.  It is primarily dedicated to the Goddess Athena, the patron goddess of the city. 

• The Acropolis became a sacred place in the 6th century BC when a temple dedicated 'Athenia Polias' was built in the northeastern side of the hill. The 'Athenia Polias' temple is made up of
  
  limestone and many artifacts and documents were found from this area.

•  As Christianity was introduced, the monuments were converted into churches. All the structures were renamed and served as churches and cathedrals. During the medieval period, some of the structures became residences or headquarters for kings such as the Frankish or Turkish rulers. 

• As time passed, natural degradation and human interference affected the Acropolis. Due to reasons such as wars, invasions and attacks, important structures such as the Parthenon, etc were destroyed leading to a tragic loss of history.  It was only during the late 20th century that the Acropolis was excavated properly and paid attention to. The excavation and restoration process is ongoing.

From the top of the hill, you can see the whole city!